A new study issued today by the National Safety Council says that fatal crashes at intersections with traffic lights decreased by 17%, and fatal crashes at intersections involving red-light running decreased by 27% from 2005 to 2009.
The study analyzed crash data in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, using statistics from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Nonetheless, there were still 12,396 fatal crashes at intersections with traffic lights, including 4,394 fatal intersection crashes involving red-light running during the five year period. All told 13,266 people were killed from these crashes.
“This report shows that we are making large strides as a nation in reducing crashes at intersections,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Each of us should consider these statistics and the measures we can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.”
The results show that although the number of fatal and nonfatal crashes at intersections has decreased over the last several years, the change is in proportion to overall motor vehicle traffic crash trends.
Fatal intersection crashes tend to occur within intersections, while nonfatal crashes tend to occur while entering or exiting intersections.
